Chaos' Antithesis
by LunarOcean
Summary: Things have been peaceful for the last six years on Mobius, and everyone has settled back down into a normal lifestyle. However, something is about happen that will change the world one last time.
1. Prologue

Author's note

Hey everyone, thanks for taking the time to read my fic. This is my first attempt at writing, so don't expect anything good. The story's start is a bit common, so I'm sorry for the repetitiveness of it. Constructive criticism appreciated, and thanks again for giving my story a shot!

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Prologue

They stood on a cliff, watching from afar. It was all or nothing now. Tails looked around and saw a cross between fear and hope in Sally's eyes while she waited. Bunnie was trying to keep everyone's hopes up, but it was obvious that she was just as worried. Even Knuckles had a look of anxiety on his face. Tails glanced back at the wasteland before the Freedom Fighters.

It was terrible. Simply looking at the site made Tails sick to his stomach. Where there had once been trees, flowers, and lakes, there was now nothing of the kind. There was no grass anymore, only dirt. Oil and toxic waste flowed through the once sparkling rivers. There was only metal coming up from ground, and nothing but black smoke coming up from the metal. Tails grimaced and a tear came to his eye. This time Robotnik had gone too far. He had turned life into death, and he was going to continue until the Fighters were crushed under his fist.

Antoine was the first to speak after the silence. "Princess, perhaps we shall withdraw. Within a few minutes Robotnik's army shall be upon us. If we stand our ground we may not last long. We must"

"No!" screamed Sally as she shot Antoine a glare. "I'm not leaving! I don't care how long it takes! I'm not going anywhere! I'll…I'll wait…" Tears were starting to well up in her eyes. "I'll wait…for him."

"But my lady…" protested Antoine.

Knuckles pulled him aside. "Not now, you bonehead. You know as well as I do that Sonic is running out of time in there, and though it may be wise to retreat from that army, Sally's not going to move until she sees Sonic or the Reaper – whichever comes first."

"But, sir Knuckles…"

"No buts. We're gonna stay right here until our buddy makes his way back. Besides," Knuckles' expression turned to a grin. "If that army does happen to make it back here, you and me will take care of 'em." Antoine's face went up in shock at the mention of him fighting. He turned white and started to shiver a bit.

"Heh heh," chuckled the echidna. "Hey Tails, Antoine here is being as yellow as ever. What do ya say – you'll help me fight off the army, won't ya?"

Tails started hovering above the ground with excitement in his eyes. "You bet Knuckles! Just wait until they get over here, I'll show them a thing or two! A little of this, a little of that! Some of this, too!" Tails threw some punches in the air and practiced a few air maneuvers, much to the amusement of everyone. Though it didn't seem so, Tails was more worried about Sonic than everyone else, except maybe Sally. He hung his head in a sudden mood change, and frantically began speaking. "Hey, Rotor. You think we should prepare the Tornado, you know, just in case something happened to Sonic? Maybe something happened. We don't know what could have happened to him. What if he's not alright? We have to go, we just have to!"

"Now now, Tails. I know you're worried about Sonic. We all are, but you know as well as the rest of us that there's no chance of any of us getting in now. It took everything we had just to get Sonic inside Robotnik's fortress. It's all up to him now. This was the plan from the start. Even so, look." Rotor pointed towards the guns mounted around the fortress. They were huge and there were hundreds of them. "Those are all anti-aircraft guns. Even with the Tornado, we wouldn't get very far before we'd be brought down, either by bullets, missiles, or EMP shockwaves." He patted the young, sulking fox on the back. "There's nothing else we can do. We just have to wait."

A sigh escaped from Tails lips. "I know…I know, Rotor."

Time seemed to slow down as Freedom Fighters sat there, waiting. They all knew that all came down to this. Tails watched the approaching army of robots as he sat there, lost in thought. _How can I just be sitting here?_ Tails thought. _Why couldn't I have been more help to Sonic? He could already be dead…Oh God, don't let it be true!_ Tears streamed down the fox's face as time crept along.

Hours seemed to pass, though it was only a couple of minutes, and finally the army reached the fighters. Knuckles was the first one up, ready to fight off the robots for as long as his body would last. Bunnie was right behind him, not about to give in to the robots. Rotor had his wrench, and even Antoine was up and ready to fight. However, Sally and Tails, usually fierce fighters when it came to defending their friends, could not find the strength to stand up.

"Hey, you guys not feeling alright?" asked Bunnie as she turned towards Sally and Tails. Getting no reply, she took charge. "Knuckles, Antoine, Rotor – listen up! Something's up with Sal and Tails, so gather 'round 'em and try to keep 'em safe, y'hear?" The four nodded in agreement and formed a circle around the two lost Fighters.

And so the battle began. Knuckles was making short work of the robots with his punches, while Bunnie was sending them out of commission with her robotic feet. Before long, Rotor had fashioned a gun out of the remains of some of the robots and was able to do some damage.

Some sparks flew as one of the robots fell to the ground, and a surprised Antoine was standing before it, rapier in hand. He looked at his rapier, and back at the heap of metal. "Wow! I did it, I can't believe it! I really did it!" With this, Antoine grinned from ear to ear.

"No time to gloat, bonehead," said Knuckles dodging a pulse cannon shot from one of the army. "There may not seem to be many right now, but these are only the scouts. If you want to see the real fun, look to the east." Antoine turned and gasped at what he saw.

"There's…There's hundreds…No…Thousands of them!" His former glee turned straight to horror. "Oh God, oh God…We're done for…" He took a step back and dropped his rapier.

"Quit yer whinin' you yellow bellied buffoon!" Bunniewasn't in the mood to put up with Antoine. "Get used to it. It's either fight or die now!" Taking advantage of the small break, she grabbed Antoine by his collar and scowled at him. Fear took him again. "Listen, you see Sal over there?" Antoine nodded. "Well, if we don't keep fighting, she's going to _die_, ok?"

Realizing it was true, Antoine found some resolve left in his terrified limbs and regained his composure, giving Bunnie a slight nod. "Thank you Bunnie, you've shown me the truth. Now, once more, I can fi"

A laser blast whizzed by Antoine's ears. "Careful there!" yelled Rotor as he retaliated, taking the robot down with his gun. "We can't afford any losses right now! Keep your eyes peeled or you may find yourseaaAargh!"

"NO!" yelled Knuckles, running to his friend, holding out a hand. He didn't make it in time. Rotor collapsed. Knuckles stopped in his tracks. The fighters were shocked. The walrus they knew so well had fallen, a bullet through his neck. Bunnie rushed over, crying, "Rotor…Rotor, dear, speak to me! Don't you go to sleep on me!" As she picked up his head, she felt it go limp in her arms. He was gone. Bunnie lowered her head to Rotor's chest for a few seconds. When her head rose, there was fire in her eyes.

"They _WILL_ pay for this!" Antoine and Knuckles were astonished. "I won't let them get away with it!" Bunnie slowly rose to her feet. A final tear was shed as she turned away from Rotor. Her eyes caught the army, and Bunnie charged. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU ROBOTNIK!"

"Bunnie, no!" Knuckles tried to stop her, but it was too late. Bunnie's mind was lost in a fit of rage and passion. No one could get through to her. The remaining fighters saw her vanish into the horde of robots. Sadly, Knuckles turned towards Antoine. "It's only you and me now, bud." They glanced at the robots. "Well, Sir Knuckles, this looks like it may be the end," said Antoine.

"Yep, this could be it. But I'll be damned if I'm gonna go down without a fight! You with me on this one?"

"Yes. Let's show them just what freedom really stands for!"

Out of nowhere, Antoine was suddenly flattened. Knuckles gasped in astonishment. He checked Antoine. He was unconscious, but not dead. _What could have moved so fast!_ _There's no way anything can be so quick!_

Before another thought came to his mind, Knuckles was face to face with the enemy. Standing before him was a new metal hedgehog. "One of you guys, huh," Knuckles told the new face. Robotnik's copies of Sonic had all failed in the past, but Knuckles knew better than to let that affect his fighting. "Take this!" Knuckles let his fist fly, but there was nothing there!

"What? No!" Knuckles glanced around. "He can't be that fast!" Carefully scanning the area, Knuckles saw some movement in the bushes. "Heh, go on…attack me," Knuckles chuckled, keeping an eye on the bush. A full minute passed. _Hmm…This one is different than the others. Robotnik must have programmed stealth into him instead of just pure speed! This could prove a challenge..._

A flicker in the corner of his eye was all Knuckles needed. He threw a punch on his right side, completely catching the robot off guard. As the robot fell, Knuckles knew the fight was over. Not much could withstand one of his fists at full force. "Is that the best you can do Robotnik?"

The robot stirred. Knuckle's eyes went wide as he watched what should have been a heap of rubble rise to its feet. He knew this was no ordinary robot, and the robot knew that this was not a common Mobian.

And then the fight began. Knuckles, like always, had the advantage in power, but this robot was incredibly fast! Knuckles was being pummeled by a hit and run tactic, but he wasn't about to stop. Every now and then, Knuckles fists connected with the metal, but nothing seemed to be working. The fight raged on for about five minutes, and Knuckles was already panting. The robot, however, wasn't showing any signs of weariness. The two came to a stand still again, locking their eyes on one another, waiting for a move to be made. The echidna took this time to analyze, looking for any weak spots... _His entire body seems to be covered, but there has to be some small glitch. Robotnik couldn't have created this in such a short time without some bugs_. As they circled, Knuckles took note of the robot's razor sharp spines. _Good thing it didn't use those yet, I'd have been a goner!_ The arms seemed like his best bet to defeat the robot. They had an exposed joint around the elbow, and if Knuckles could utilize that weakness he realized he could take down the robot much easier.

Just then Knuckles realized his mistake. He and the robot had been circling slowly, and Knuckles had dropped his guard a tiny bit to analyze the robot. In doing so, he neglected to notice where the robot was. _No, I can't believe it! What's wrong with me?_ As Knuckles started to collapse with a shocked look in his eyes, he groaned, "Everyone…I'm…I'm sorry…" The echidna hit the ground and lay motionless. Standing over the body was the metal Sonic, masterfully brandishing the fallen Antoine's rapier. It was dripping red from the pierce.

Tails and Sally hadn't moved. While their friends were fighting, they just sat lost in thought. Neither had a said a word, but they knew they were each basically thinking the same thing._ To think, this has all been for naught. I've failed at defeating the tyrant Robotnik. I've failed my people. And I've sent Sonic to his doom. Death is the only option available for me now._

_I wasn't strong enough. Sonic has been so kind to me, but in the end, I've been nothing but weak. If only I could have been stronger, maybe it wouldn't have ended like this. Maybe everything would have turned out all right. I've failed, and Sonic has to be dead by now. I'm so sorry everyone, I just wasn't strong enough!_

Both of them lowered their heads in acceptance as the metal Sonic approached them to finish the Fighters off once and for all. It was all over now. The robot pulled the rapier back, about to strike the orange one.

The evening sun disappeared over the horizon. The world was clouded in darkness. As one last tear escaped Tails' eyes, he looked up at the menacing eyes that pierced his very soul. Robotnik had won; he had created a world void of happiness for all of its inhabitants except for those who pledged ultimate loyalty to him. This was the end.

A white flash suddenly was emitted from Robotnik's fortress. Its luminosity grew larger by the second, and before long everything within a ten mile radius had been enveloped by the white light. Tails looked at the menacing eyes. They had lost their red glow. Tails and Sally were suddenly engulfed by the incredible light. Everything went white, and Tails was sure he was dead.

Tails awoke with a start. _Oh man, not the dream again. One day I've gotta get over it!_ _That was so long ago…_He glanced at his alarm clock, which read 8:30 AM. The alarm was set for 8:45 AM. _Hmm. I've still got time before class starts_. Tails turned back over in his bed. _Man, I can't wait! Soon as I'm out of class, I'll get to see everyone again! I hope everyone's been doing ok. I wonder…will he be there?_ Tails drifted back to sleep, with a less nerve-wracking dream putting a smile on his face.

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That's it for now! If anything didn't make sense, please let me know, and thanks again!  
-LunarOcean


	2. Chapter 1

Author's Note

Hey there. Finally got the next chapter up! Just wanted to let everyone know that anything I mention from the SatAM/Archie universe is coming straight from my memory. Last time I saw SatAM was over 12 years ago, so I'm bound to have some errors in the universe. If you see any, just let me know, and I'll get to fixing them. Thanks, and hope you enjoy the chapter!

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Chapter 1

Tails heard something. A faint buzz pulled at him. He tried to shut it out, but it just got louder and louder. Tails knew it would come down to this, like it always did. The same thing, time after time.

"Alright already, I'm up, I'm up!" he exclaimed fumbling for the off button for his alarm. When he finally found it, he sat up in his bed with signs of sleep showing from his expression. _Ugh, what day is it again?_ He glanced at his computer, looking for the date. _Thursday. Great. At least I've got physics. Hmm…seems like something else was supposed to be going on today…_ Tails rubbed his head, trying to recollect his senses and memory. It came to him. "That's right. It's today!" Tails was instantly awake. He scurried about his room, gathering his materials for the day. _Shoot, I'm gonna be late, _he thought as he put his shoes on. Finally, he slung his backpack on, turned off the lights, and left his room.

Tails went outside to a gorgeous day and began walking. It had been six years to the day since Sonic had successfully stopped Robotnik once and for all, and six years since that mysterious explosion that no one knew anything about. Since then, Princess Sally had successfully rebuilt the kingdom with the help of many freed Mobians. The kingdom was thriving again, just like the days before Robotnik. It was like nothing had happened. Sally had taken a role as the leader since Robotnik was defeated, and was currently loved by everyone. Knuckles had returned to Angel Island to, once again, protect the Master Emerald, but periodically visited the kingdom. The rapier wound that the metal Sonic had inflicted caused him pain everyday, but Knuckles was not disheartened by this; he was simply happy the blade had missed his heart. Rotor, after recovering from the wound near his jugular vein, decided he would visit his homelands in the arctic north and had departed five years ago. Bunnie had remained in the kingdom and was one of Sally's most trusted advisors, as well as a few other things. Her scars on her face reminded all of the ferocity of the robot army, and the courage she must have displayed while in the fray of it to survive.

After rebuilding much of the kingdom, Tails had decided it would be best for him to go to school. For a few years he had lived with Sally while he rapidly progressed through his classes. Two months ago he had enrolled in Knothole University. Most first-time students there were at least four years older than the fox, and he was constantly being made fun of for his age. Tails had become a reject at the university because of his incredible knowledge, but no one ever tried to bully him for it. The students knew better than to try and take on one of the Freedom Fighters, let alone the legendary Sonic's buddy. The fox had learned to deal with the attitudes of the students, but he was still bothered from time to time. The professors, however, loved Tails. They enjoyed his desire to learn and adventurous attitude.

Like usual, glares were being sent towards Tails as he walked along, but they didn't bother him today. His eyes were fixed on the clouds as he thought of how great it would be to see the whole gang together again. _I really hope everyone shows up! It's gonna be great!_ Tails walked into the Chuck Physical Science building, and headed for his class. As he took his seat among the looks of disdain, the professor walked in.

"Ok guys, let's get started. You've got the entire class to complete this exam. There are 14 conceptual questions, and 6 analytical questions. On number 18, the capacitor is supposed to have a capacitance of 35 micro-farads, not 35 farads. Sorry about the typo."

Tails banged his head against his desk. _How could I forget I had a test today? Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ He looked around the room. The rest of the students didn't exactly look thrilled to be in class today either. Tails gulped as an exam was placed in front of him. For a few moments he stared at it in disbelief, but reality pulled him back and he started grudgingly working on the exam. _Ok, name and date, I know I can at least get those two right_.

An hour later Tails walked back outside and sighed. _It wasn't too bad_, he thought. _I've got a chance of getting an A_. Physics always was Tails' best subject. He gave a slight chuckle as some of his classmates passed him, speaking of how difficult it was. One of them, a very large badger named Ralph, turned and faced Tails. "What, another breeze for you, shrimp? Well here, this outta shut you up!" The badger raised his fists in anger, ready to pulverize Tails. Ralph lashed out at where the fox had been a moment ago. Tails was already in action though. He had spun around Ralph with haste and swiped the badger off his feet with his tails. When Ralph got up, he was infuriated. "You little twerp! You're going to pay for that!" Once again, the brute tried to punch Tails, but this time Tails leapt into the air and drove down onto Ralph's head, fists first.

Tails picked up his backpack where he had dropped it in order to successfully outmaneuver Ralph and began to stroll off. He heard a few of Ralph's friends talking to him. "Man, you dumbass, you should have known better than to attack him!"

"Yeah, what's wrong with you? You were just asking for a concussion or something…sheesh!"

Tails lowered his head. He hated fighting, but there were often times he had to act in self defense at college.

A few minutes later, Tails walked into one of the engineering labs. No one seemed to be there. There were machines strewn about the lab, and circuits were scattered throughout the tables. Tails put his backpack down and walked over to the Tornado. There it was – Tails' plane. A few years ago it looked run down, but ever since moving to the university Tails had been maintaining it. It was as red as ever from the new paint he had applied last week. Many would have considered the biplane old and outdated, but much of its glory was hidden on the inside. Tails had turned it into quite the fighter plane, adding machine guns onto the wings and more boosters to enable better mobility. Unfortunately, the plane had considerable drag and didn't have a wonderful amount of lift. Tails had improved the ailerons on the wings; they were almost always down to counteract the lift problem he had experienced. He stared at the Tornado for about five minutes. It had been such a long time since he had to use it, and he would probably only use it for leisure flights in the future. Regardless, seeing the plane always relieved Tails.

As he strolled about it wondering which part he should upgrade next, a new figure came in the door. It was an older, green hedgehog. He had a pair of glasses on that were too big for his eyes, but he had grown attached to them. He had a moustache and bushy eyebrows above his eyes. Looking at some of Sonic's old pictures, Tails had decided this man looked a lot like Sonic's uncle Chuck, and he seemed to have the same heart.

"Hey Greg! How've you been?" The hedgehog looked around and found Tails inspecting the Tornado.

"Afternoon Tails! You know how it is. I've been in meetings since seven this morning. Anyway, I'm glad you're here! I was thinking about working on the rudder today; you can never have too much mobility you know." Greg presided over the engineering labs. He was an old fellow without too much time left, but he always found time for the students. There wasn't really a soul on campus that disliked Greg – he always presented a nice, cheerful face to everyone, but he didn't tolerate ignorance, especially in the labs. As soon as Greg and Tails met, they became instant friends. Tails was the only student Greg saw that could communicate with him on the same level. Because of this, Tails hung out in the labs with Greg almost every day, doing what he loved to do – tinkering with machines.

"Yeah, I was thinking about that." Tails eyed the back of the plane. "We've worked on the ailerons enough for now. The rudder seriously needs an upgrade. It's too old to really affect the plane that much."

"Well then, why don't we get to work on it? I've got a couple of hours before any other students are scheduled to come in here." Greg took off his jacket and picked up a screwdriver. "May as well take off the plating right now."

"Sorry, Greg." Tails started to gather up his stuff. "I was only dropping in for a couple of minutes in between classes. I've got a few more, and then I've got to take off to meet Sally. Everyone's coming back together again today; I can't wait to see 'em all!"

"Well, ok. I guess I'll see you later then." Greg popped his head out from looking at the circuitry inside the rudder. "You don't mind if I work on this while you're gone, right Tails?"

"Nah, go ahead. Knock yourself out." Tails said as he left the lab. The rest of his classes passed by pretty quickly. This could have been because Tails didn't really pay any attention to the professors today. Regardless, before he knew it, Tails was out of classes and back in his dorm. After setting his backpack down and checking his email, Tails was out the door again – destination: Princess Sally's house.

The day was still gorgeous, and Tails enjoyed the walk. Along the way he saw many people simply out on the street, going about their daily lives. He still found it rather difficult to believe. _It really did happen, didn't it? Robotnik is gone, peace is restored…Everything is back to normal._ Tails couldn't deny it; he missed the past to a degree. Helping out with the rest of the Fighters, keeping hope alive against Robotnik – it really could be fun at times. _I know it's better off like this, but I just can't help but miss the adventures_.

The memories of the adventures brought Tails painful memories too though. It made him think of Sonic. Sonic had always been so upbeat while the war with Robotnik was going on, and Tails had always wanted to be around him. But ever since the white explosion, Sonic had changed. He had no longer been his cheerful, fun-loving self. He tried to put on a happy face while everyone was rebuilding from the devastation, but Tails and everyone else could see right through it. Something was wrong, and Sonic was keeping it to himself. It was an incredibly sad day for everyone when Sonic announced he was leaving. No one knew why, but it was suspected that it was related to the explosion. Tails had tried to stop him, but Sonic sadly had to let the fox slip out of his grasp. Tails remembered what Sonic had said to him that day. "We'll see each other again, before you know it, Tails. However, this is something I have to do. Take care of everyone for me." Tails had tried to go with him, but Sonic wouldn't allow it. _I just don't get it! Robotnik is dead, Sonic confirmed that! What else could there possibly be to do? Sonic…_Tails stopped and gazed at the sky. The sky was a wonderful blue and the clouds were white and fluffy. Everything seemed so happy, and Tails had every reason to be happy, but he wasn't. _Why did you have to leave us after it was finally over?_

A few minutes later Tails was in front of Sally's house. She had been ruling with such kindness that no one really considered her a ruler; she was a friend. As such, there were no guards; there were no huge crowds around her house. She was simply a member of the kingdom, and everyone loved her for that. There were several large oak trees in her front yard, creating a nice canopy of shade over the house and making nice shadows in the front lawn. Sparkling blue water was flowing in the fountain that lay next to one of the oak trees. Sally's house really was a tranquil scene, and to Tails, it was home.

He walked up and rang the doorbell. Bunnie was the face Tails was greeted with when the door opened. "Tails! How've ya been? Come here you!" Bunnie grabbed him and ruffled the fur on his head.

"Hey! Hey, put me down!" Tails protested with a grin on his face. Bunnie let his feet touch the ground again. He gave her a hug. "It's really great to see you again, Bunnie."

"Same goes to you, Tails." Bunnie turned around and called to the living room. "Hey guys! Tails is here!"

The two walked into the living room. There they were. Sally, Rotor, Antoine, Knuckles, and Bunnie were all in the room. Everyone had a smile on their face. The atmosphere was one of warm reminiscing. After greetings were exchanged, Tails took a seat next to Sally. A huge smile came to his face.

"Guys." He glanced at the warm faces. "It's great to be home again."


	3. Chapter 2

Author's note: Hey everyone - bet you thought I was dead or something! Well, I'm still around, and I've finally finished one chapter, so here it is. Enjoy!

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Chapter 2

The atmosphere was light as the old friends chatted about the past year. Sally and Bunnie had already discussed how they missed being free of heavy responsibility and how they yearned for some quiet time every now and then. Unfortunately, the kingdom was not restored quite yet, so the two just tried their best to help rebuild it.

"Besides," mentioned Bunnie, "Once it's all taken care of we're sure to have some more downtime, ain't that right hun?" She looked at Sally.

"I definitely hope so Bunnie." Sally turned to Knuckles. "So, Knuckles, you haven't said much since you've been here. How have you been at Angel Island? Are things going well?"

The echidna simply smiled. "Yeah, things have been ok at my end of the world. The new town has started to thrive with Mobians who wish to protect the Master Emerald so that no one like Robotnik is ever able to rise up again. A few of them have been devoted enough to actually be named guardians according to my ancestor's texts." He leaned back a bit and stretched. "I've gotta tell ya, it's great to be able to forget about the Master Emerald every now and then and actually relax. I know it's in good hands right now."

Everyone was happy to see that Knuckles no longer seemed to carry the sole burden of protecting the Master Emerald. He looked much more relieved than he had in the past, like he was actually enjoying life to the fullest for once. Everyone but Rotor, though. His observant nature had led his eyes to the envelope Sally was holding. Something told him that the letter inside contained the reason why everyone had gathered today

"Ah-hem," he chimed, "I'm having as good a time here as anyone else, but my curiosity has been piqued since I saw you today, Sally." Everyone turned to look at the princess. "Now, you've been holding that envelope in your hand for quite some time, and I know before the night is over you're going to mention something about it. I'm sorry to damper the current conversation, but I'd really like to know what's going on. Could you possibly tell us now?" Everyone else agreed.

Sally lowered her head and glanced at the letter. "I'm sorry, guys. I was trying to put this off as long as possible." She flipped it over in her hand. Tails let out a gasp.

"But…but…that's Sonic's handwriting!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, it is." Sally replied. "Everyone, I want you to listen to what I have to say. You have no doubt noticed that our annual meeting was a month late this year. Usually we meet on the anniversary of Robotnik's defeat. Last month that would have been the sixth anniversary, but today we meet on a different today. Today is the fifth anniversary of Sonic's departure."

Everyone's expressions changed as they remembered their blue friend. After a few solemn moments had passed, Sally chimed in again. "Yes, I'm sure you all noticed it too. After Robotnik was destroyed, Sonic was different. He was never the same fun-loving hedgehog we knew. He tried to put on a happy face, but I know you all saw through it too."

"Yeah," agreed Knuckles. "He never was the same after that day. What bothers me is that he never mentioned what went on inside Robotnik's fortress. Something had to have happened in there for him to change so drastically. At least, that's what I always figured."

_Exactly what I always believed,_ Tails thought to himself. _Something big had to have happened in there, but why couldn't he just tell us about it? I don't understand!_

"That's a reasonable thought," replied Sally. "Anyway, let me get to the point. The day after Sonic left us I found this letter on my dresser when I woke up. Attached to it was a note asking that I didn't open the letter unless five years had passed and we hadn't gotten any word of Sonic. Unfortunately, I really couldn't hold off that long, and I opened it last week. Because of the contents, I decided to ask everyone to get together, as the letter pertains to all of us." She pulled out several letters from the envelope and picked up one of them. "This letter is addressed to all of us, so I'm just going to read it aloud now."

Sally began, "Dear friends – If you're reading this right now it's likely been five years since my departure. I wanted to apologize for not giving a reason that I left to any of you. Sadly, I cannot give the reason to you now either. If it indeed has been five years, I wanted to say my good-byes here, as its unlikely that I'm still alive right now." Everyone was taken aback at these words.

"What!" exclaimed Knuckles.

"You're joking, right hun?" asked Bunnie.

Sally shed some tears and continued to read. "Before I officially say good-bye, I will let you all in on the following information. I am heading north. I can't say any more than this. I'm sorry friends. Now then – gotta juice…"

Sally raised her eyes from the letter. "That's all it says. I know it's hard for everyone to accept," she looked at Tails before continuing, "but Sonic may no longer be with us. I won't say anything more – you all knew Sonic for the hero he was, and I'll let you all grieve in your own way." It was evident that Sally was trying hard not to break down in front of everyone else. "Before you all leave though, there were more letters in that envelope. Specifically, there's one addressed to each of us." She stood up and started passing the other letters out.

When Sally handed Tails his note he took it without saying anything or looking at anyone. His expression was a blank stare into space. _This fear…This hopelessness and despair - I haven't felt like this for six years. How could he be gone? Everything was supposed to be fixed after Robotnik was defeated. How? Why! _Tails just sat in the chair with the unopened letter in his hand, motionless.

Everyone else, except for one other, was shedding tears over their letters. Even Antoine couldn't keep a dry face anymore. The only one who didn't seem like he was mourning was Knuckles. The echidna had a lot of experience hiding his emotions, and even though this was a devastating blow to him, he was maintaining some composure. As such, he was the only one to notice Tails' blank expression. _I know that face, _he thought. _That's the same one I saw during the last battle. The poor guy must be going through a lot right now._ He sighed._ Sonic, you don't know how sad it makes me knowing that you're gone, but I'm going to try my best to help out in your absence. Your buddy just lost his best friend and hero, so the least I can do is try to help him through this tragedy_.

Knuckles had a certain way of encouraging people, and it wasn't always appreciated. He walked over to Tails and looked the fox in the eyes. When Knuckles didn't receive any signs that the fox had noticed him, he grabbed Tails' head and jolted it a couple of times. A sad face looked back at him; it was hard for Knuckles not to break down as well.

"Listen to me, Tails," spoke Knuckles sternly. "You think this is what Sonic wants? Do you think he wanted all his friends to just sit down and lose any signs of life?"

"But…Knuckles…He's really…He's really gone."

"But nothing! Think about it! What did Sonic always do when Robotnik captured someone? Do you think he just sat there and moped about it?"

"Of course not. Sonic would go rescue them…but that can't happen anymore."

"And what else? Do you think Sonic didn't have the sort of feelings you're experiencing now?" A few moments passed. "Of course he felt like this, Tails! The thought of losing someone always feels like this, and he experienced it many times, but what did he do?"

"I don't know."

"Then listen to me, damnit!" He made sure Tails was looking straight into his eyes. "He did something about it! He didn't let these feelings stop him. Wherever he was, he always gave it his best shot. Do you know what that means, Tails? If Sonic were here, he wouldn't want to see you like this. He'd be disheartened to see his number one fan break down so easily. If you really wanted to be like him, you wouldn't be sitting here letting yourself slip deeper into the depths of your mind. Some fan of Sonic you are – You couldn't help him, and now you can't even help yourself. You're useless!" The rest of the crowd was brought out of their grieving at this remark.

That did it. Tails couldn't take anymore. _Sonic would have been better off without me. What good was I to him? All I ever did was get in the way anyway. He couldn't have been proud of me. I was just a burden, and now I'm just useless._ He couldn't stop the tears from flowing, but Tails forced a state of composure. Still holding the letter, he slowly stood up and walked to the door. "Sally, everyone…I'll see you later. Good-bye."

As he walked out the door Bunnie came running up after him and grabbed his shoulder. "Sugarhawk, don't listen to what that arrogant jerk said. It was nothing but lies! You're not useless!"

"Thanks, Bunnie, but I'd rather be alone right now." He shook away from her grasp and continued to walk off towards his dorm. It was still a bright and sunny day, but Tails didn't see any of it. _Useless – Yep, that's me_. He simply kept walking.

Bunnie, furious, stormed back to the echidna and let him have it. "Knuckles," she yelled, "how could you say something like that to him? How would you feel if your best friend suddenly just disappeared from your life completely? I doubt you'd be as cold as you were just now. Why don't you show Tails some respect and kindness for once? Besides, we all know that Tails isn't any sort of burden to any of us!" The fire in her eyes burned at Knuckles.

Knuckles crossed his arms and replied calmly, "For your information, I did lose my best friend, I know what Tails is going through right now, and yes, I do care. It's not an easy thing to get through, but he's going to have to do it. Though he may want to, he can't sulk about this forever."

Rotor sat up and chipped in. "But Knuckles, you know just as well as the rest of us that Tails wasn't a burden to Sonic. Why did you tell him something like that?"

"Quite simply, I took a risk," he replied. As he held up his letter from Sonic he continued. "Now then, we all know, or knew, Sonic. As terrible as it is that he may be gone, I can still guess the contents of this letter. What he talks about, how he phrases it – these things are pretty much a given."

Knuckles opened his letter and began to read it. Much to Bunnie's surprise, Knuckles had started to cry a bit. However, he was also smiling and had chuckled several times.

After a few minutes passed Knuckles began to speak again. "Yep, it's just as I thought. He was just as brash to me as he had ever been. Think about that for a moment. If he acted the same in this letter as he always had, what do you think Tails' letter is going to contain? It's definitely not going to call him useless, that's for sure."

"So," Sally replied, "you're thinking that if the statements in Sonic's letter to Tails contrast with the ones you made that it may be enough to bring him out of his current depression?"

"Right, as usual, Sally."

Bunnie took a step back from Knuckles. "Sorry for snapping at ya like that, sugar." She shook her head. "I can't agree with how you handled it, but for the sake of Tails let's hope it works."

"Yes, let's hope it turns out for the best. On that note, let's go ahead and eat in remembrance of our beloved friend, Sonic," suggested Sally.

As everyone got up and started to head to the kitchen, Rotor felt a tug on his arm. It was Knuckles again. "Rotor, come with me a second. I've got something I need to discuss with you, and the others can't be a part of it." Rotor felt himself being dragged away from his precious food.

"I'll be right there, Sal!" he called in despair.

Tails had reached his dorm by now, and luckily his roommate still wasn't back. A sigh escaped his lips. _At least he won't be here to see me break down_. He didn't even bother looking at his homework. The fox hopped into his bed and began to cry uncontrollably. He buried his face into a pillow so the rest of the dorm wouldn't hear him. Memories of Sonic kept flashing through his mind. Tails remembered all the fun he and Sonic had at the ring pool. Images of Sonic laying waste to one of Robotnik's creations time and time again flowed through his mind's eye. In the midst of all the sadness Tails was even able to chuckle remembering when Sonic had tried to cook.

All the memories of Sonic were already hurting, but what Knuckles had said was eating away at Tails. _Was I really useless? What good was I? He would have been better off without me…_He continued his weeping for his lost friend and for his own failures in life.

He kept on going for about half an hour, although it seemed like days to him. Finally, his tears began to slow down and Tails began to come back to the present day. His eyes were red and his throat was incredibly dry. He remembered that Sally had given him a letter from Sonic, and that he hadn't gotten a chance to read it yet.

_Sally…_Tails just closed his eyes. _I'm so sorry for just leaving like that._ He got out of bed and searched for the letter. After rummaging through some of his stuff he found it under his pillow. _Oh yeah, I really didn't set anything down when I came in here._ He sat back down on his bed, opened the letter, and began reading to himself. He could almost hear Sonic's voice speaking to him.

_Hey there, big guy! How's it going? I hope you're still doing ok without me. You told me that you were going to start school before long – if you did I'm sure you're doing great! There's no one out there at your age with the brains you've got – remember that bud. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I miss you a ton. I miss everyone, of course, but not having you by my side is something I'll never be able to get used to. If you're reading this, then I may be gone, and if that's the case I can guarantee you that I still haven't gotten used to being without you, Tails. Whatever happens to either of us, whatever anyone tells you, I wanted to let you know that we'll always be best buds. Thank you for all the help and support you've given me over the years. Of all the friends I could have had that would always stick by my side, I got the best one when I met you. I'm glad that we were able to be friends, and I know you're destined for great things. Sorry that I won't be around to see them. Whatever you do, don't let anything or anyone slow you down. Good-bye, big guy. Your best bud for life, Sonic.  
__  
_Tails didn't know what to think. Knuckles had told him he was useless, but Sonic had just dispelled that. Tails found himself filling with warmth although he was still crying on the inside. _Whatever I do, don't let anything stop me, huh? _Tails looked out the window. The stars were already high in the sky. _Maybe Knuckles is right. Sonic wouldn't want to see me sitting around like this all the time because something bad happened._ He saw the group of stars that he always found himself looking at late at night during the Great War. _Maybe that time has finally come after all_. Tails quickly got himself ready for bed and set his alarm.

"Well, alright Knuckles. I understand what you're saying."

"Thanks, Rotor. I trust I'll see you in the morning?"

"Yeah, I suppose. If this actually happens I'll try my best to help out like you said."

"Ok, glad you understand everything, big guy. Have a good night." Knuckles walked out of the house.

"You too." Rotor walked to Sally's guest room. _Just what is he planning?_ Rotor got into bed and quickly began dreaming of new inventions that would help the world.

_Best buds for life, huh?_ Tails thought to himself as he slipped into bed._ I know what I have to do now. Thanks, Sonic._ The young fox was anxious as hedrifted intosleep. _This is it._

* * *

That's it for now! Sorry if you were expecting a lot of action Hope you still enjoyed it! If I've got an error in there, please let me know! 


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